Wimbledon briefing: Day four recap, Friday's order of play and Raducanu preview
Draper's disappointment
Jack Draper knows he needs to improve on grass (Benjamin Gilbert/PA)
Jack Draper admitted he has a lot of work to do if he is to challenge at Wimbledon in the future after a crushing loss to Marin Cilic in the second round.
The British number one is still yet to make it beyond the last 64 at his home grand slam and, having come into the tournament as the fourth seed after a brilliant season so far, the 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 defeat was his most painful yet.
'Even though I've had such an amazing progression the last 12 months, I've still got a lot of areas that I need to improve in my game,' the 23-year-old said.
'In some ways that's exciting, and in some ways that's hard to deal with because I thought I was ahead of where I was.'
Djokovic 99 not out
Novak Djokovic is one victory away from a century of SW19 match wins (John Walton/PA)
Novak Djokovic racked up his 99th match win at Wimbledon and sent a message to title favourites Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
The 38-year-old proved he is a major contender at this year's Wimbledon with a near-flawless performance in 6-3 6-2 6-0 victory over Britain's Dan Evans.
And the seven-time champion has his eyes firmly on another title in SW19, with no time for thoughts of retirement.
He said: 'I don't pause to reflect, to be honest. I don't have time. I would like to. But I think that's going to come probably when I set the racket aside and then sip margaritas on the beach with Federer and Nadal and just reflect on our rivalry and everything.'
Brit watch
Sonay Kartal is back into the third round (Mike Egerton/PA)
British number one Emma Raducanu takes on top seed Aryna Sabalenka for a place in the fourth round of a women's draw that has only five top-10 seeds remaining.
Sonay Kartal is back in the third round for the second successive year and starts as favourite against French qualifier Diane Parry, who stunned 12th seed Diana Shnaider to reach this stage.
And Cameron Norrie, the 2022 semi-finalist, will also fancy his chances against world number 73 Mattia Bellucci after the British number three knocked out 12th seed Frances Tiafoe in the second round.
Match of the day
Emma Raducanu is ready to take on the world number one (Mike Egerton/PA)
Emma Raducanu's reward for knocking out 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova was an early meeting with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
They have played once before, in Indian Wells last spring, when Sabalenka won in straight sets but in a close enough contest to give the British number one encouragement.
Raducanu said: 'She's number one in the world for a reason. I'm going to have to be aggressive but pick my moments and not kind of be overly (aggressive).
'I don't think I'm going to go out there and out-power her. I think I'm going to have to try and be creative, as well.'
Order of play
Centre Court (from 1.30pm)
Taylor Fritz (5) v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Carlos Alcaraz (2) v Jan-Lennard Struff
Emma Raducanu v Aryna Sabalenka (1)
Court One (from 1pm)
Sonay Kartal v Diane Parry
Cameron Norrie v Mattia Bellucci
Elina Svitolina (14) v Elise Mertens (24)
Weather
Sunny changing to partly cloudy by nighttime, with a maximum temperature of 27C, according to the Met Office.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
23 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Cosmic Year expected to shine in Prix Jean Prat outing
Part of an outstanding group of three-year-olds assembled by leading owners Juddmonte, he was last seen chasing home Field of Gold in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and now reverts to seven furlongs seeking his own top-level success. Charlton said: 'He's in good form, we gave him a little break after Ireland as we knew we weren't going to Royal Ascot due to Juddmonte's team of other horses, so we've kind of been targeting this race since the Curragh and he's been moving great. He seems in good nick and we're very happy with him. Cosmic Year winning at Newmarket earlier this year (David Davies/PA) 'I hope he's still got lots more to come, we're still learning about him as he's obviously come into this year very inexperienced. 'I'd be happy to run a mile again but seven furlongs is perfect for him, he's done most of his racing at seven and he's a quick horse. He has the speed for seven furlongs but I do think he gets the mile.' Charlton saw Juddmonte hotpot Kikkuli turned over in this Group One event 12 months ago but is taking plenty of encouragement from Curragh conqueror Field Of Gold's dazzling display in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, which gives a timely polish to Cosmic Year's fine run in Ireland. He added: 'Ireland was a slightly odd race for us as we probably got a little further back than we wanted and then it was kind of done and dusted and Field Of Gold is a very good horse who put the race to bed before we got going really. 'It's exciting if he can improve from that and it should give him a great chance of figuring on Sunday.' Shadow Of Light has a great record (Mike Egerton for The Jockey Club/PA) While Cosmic Year was seen just the once as a two-year-old, Charlie Appleby's Shadow Of Light was busy making a name for himself by winning both the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes in the autumn. Upped to a mile for his return, he was beaten a length by stablemate Ruling Court when third in the 2000 Guineas and having since finished fifth in the Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs at Royal Ascot, he splits the difference by returning to his Dewhurst-winning distance. Appleby told 'The drop back in trip and quick ground caught out Shadow Of Light in the Commonwealth Cup, but he came out of the race in great nick. 'Stepping back up to seven furlongs is a positive, and hopefully the ground at Deauville will be a bit more forgiving. We will be on weather watch and a decision will be made on the day after we have had a look at the ground. 'I can't fault his preparation going into this and feel he is the horse to beat if he can run up to anywhere near the form of his Guineas third.' The Lion In Winter represents Aidan O'Brien (Mike Egerton/PA) Further British and Irish interest is provided by Aidan O'Brien's one-time Derby hope The Lion In Winter, who drops back in trip significantly after disappointing in the premier Classic at Epsom. Meanwhile, Christopher Head's Maranoa Charlie will run in the colours of Bond Thoroughbreds after the Yorkshire operation purchased the son of Wootton Bassett following his recent Prix Paul de Moussac win at Saint-Cloud. Christophe Ferland's Silius has finished second to Maranoa Charlie the last twice, with Francis-Henri Graffard's Woodshauna also a live hope for the home team having accounted for Harry Eustace's Royal Ascot heroine Time For Sandals in the Prix Texanita.
The Herald Scotland
33 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Convergent seeking German Derby glory for Burke
The lightly-raced Convergent heads across Europe with leading claims, having confirmed the promise of a couple of low-key wins at Redcar by finishing third behind subsequent dual Derby winner Lambourn and the Epsom runner-up and Curragh third Lazy Griff in the Chester Vase in May. Burke said: 'I'm looking forward to seeing him run. He's a progressive horse, we think he's a really nice horse with a big future in front of him, so hopefully he can prove that on Sunday. 'We missed Royal Ascot because of the ground – he'd have gone there if it had been a bit slower ground. They say the ground is beautiful in Hamburg with a lovely covering of grass and we've got a reasonable draw (stall seven), so all things being equal he should run a big race.' Reflecting on his Chester performance, the trainer added: 'It wasn't the plan to make the running there, I know making the running can help at Chester but he's a big, raw horse and because nothing wanted to go forward we ended up in front. 'I wouldn't say it was a huge disadvantage, but he'll be a better horse with a lead and I think we'd have finished closer again if we'd been tracking them rather than them tracking us.' Convergent is the sole British raider in a field of 18 runners.
The Herald Scotland
33 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Rhyse Martin has no regrets leaving Leeds for Hull KR
Martin could hardly have timed his recovery better having returned for last week's win over Wakefield, and is now in line to feature against the Rhinos, for whom he made 132 appearances and amassed over 1000 points. Rhyse Martin has returned from injury in time to face former club Leeds at Craven Park (Mike Egerton/PA) Martin told the PA news agency: 'Coming to the club to try and add something to the team, it was something I definitely didn't want to happen. I wanted to be on the field showing what I can do for this team. But I'm back now and I get another chance to earn the respect of my team-mates. 'For me it just felt like time to make a change and take up a new challenge, where I've had to start again. I think when you're in that sort of position it brings the best of you as a player. When you take up a new challenge you find out what you're made of and how tough you are.' Martin's Rhinos career always looked likely to come to a close as they headed towards a second consecutive season without a play-off berth, and for a time he looked likely to return to Australia before Willie Peters stepped in to add the cool goal-kicker – who jointly holds the world record for 41 consecutive successful kicks – to his talent pool. Rhyse Martin scored over 1000 points during his career with Leeds (Mike Egerton/PA) The departure of former head coach Rohan Smith in June added to the uncertainty at Headingley, and with his replacement Brad Arthur still far from certain of his long-term plans, Martin said the situation confirmed his decision to move elsewhere. Going through the 'horrible' experience of watching Rovers' Challenge Cup win over Warrington from the sidelines has only served to confirm his desire to win more with Rovers, and a win over the Rhinos, one of the biggest contenders for a top-two slot, would be a big step in the right direction. 'My time at Rhinos was good but I was thinking about the next couple of years,' added Martin. 'I think they're in a position where they're not sure where they're going with their head coach, whereas I knew at Rovers there was stability and they were pushing for silverware, so that really made the decision a lot easier.'
